February 4, 2014: Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, will
visit the Vatican and meet Pope Francis on Thursday, April 3. A statement from her
Press Secretary states the Queen is coming to Rome in response to a lunch invitation
from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, and she is using the visit to Italy as
an “opportunity to meet Pope Francis for the first time.” Queen Elizabeth II met with
Pope Benedict XVI during his state visit to Great Britain in 2010.
The full
statement from the Press Secretary of Queen Elizabeth is below
The Queen, accompanied
by The Duke of Edinburgh, will visit Rome on 3rd April. Her Majesty and His Royal
Highness are visiting following a private invitation from the President of Italy,
President Napolitano, in 2013. His Holiness the Pope will officially receive HM
for a private Audience Q+A Why is The Queen going to Rome? The Queen and
The Duke of Edinburgh were invited to a private lunch by President Napolitano last
year but were unable to attend due to ill health. The visit has been reinstated. In
the interim, a new Pope was elected and Her Majesty will now use this visit as an
opportunity to meet His Holiness Pope Francis for the first time. What are the
details of The Queen and The Duke's programme while there? Her Majesty and His
Royal Highness will visit the Presidential Palace where they will attend a private
lunch hosted by The President. They will then call on Pope Francis at the Vatican. How
long will The Queen and The Duke be in Rome for? One day. Why is the programme
so short? The invitation to The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh from President
Napolitano was to a private lunch which they were delighted to accept. While in Rome
Her Majesty additionally wished to call on Pope Francis whom HM and HRH have not met
previously. Who requested the meeting with The Pope? It would be unusual for
HM to visit Rome without meeting the Pope (as HM did on her last visit in 2000). And,
as we said, Her Majesty has not yet met Pope Francis so this seemed like an opportune
time for the two Heads of State to meet.